Compromise Part Of 'Spirit Of '76'

The Declaration of Independence, announced 236 years ago today by the Second Continental Congress, is the birth certificate of the United States of America. Its famous words are, or should be, known to all: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

What is sometimes forgotten is that the resolution for independence that authorized this bedrock document was not quickly adopted by the Continental Congress with a resounding and unanimous "Aye!" Those in Congress then, as now, were inclined to argue.

As late as 1775, most colonists were said to be against independence from Great Britain, and various Congressional delegates represented that view. Some argued that declaring independence was premature before foreign alliances were secured. Some wanted reconciliation with Britain, and fairer treatment as colonies — not a break with the mother country. Others claimed that Parliament, not King George III, was the true enemy.

Wording

The exact wording of the Declaration was the source of other animosity. Thomas Jefferson, for example, its chief author, was said to have resented the fact that Congress removed from his original draft wording sharply critical of the slave trade.

Delegates from more than one colony threatened to walk out of the convention if the resolution of independence were adopted; those from Maryland did just that after the Congress approved a radical preamble, written by John Adams, thought to be hostile to Maryland. But after days of heartfelt debate, and after some vote-switching, the final tally for independence was 12 colonies for the resolution and one abstention (by the New York delegates, who voted in the affirmative a week later).

On this Independence Day, the bold actions taken by the Founding Fathers should serve as a model for today's gridlocked Congress. In 1776, the delegates felt passionately about which course of action would be best. Initially they were not necessarily all pulling in the same direction, partly because of instructions from the legislative bodies of their respective colonies. But despite their disagreements, they recognized a greater goal that was worth more than political pressure from home. They put their quarrels aside and voted for independence.

As the question of separating from Britain was being considered, it was noted by Mr. Jefferson, as recorded in his autobiography, that "the voice of the representatives is not always consonant with the voice of the people." Indeed, that seemed to be the case. In the summer of 1776, fully one-third of Americans were loyalists; they could not have been pleased with what the delegates to the Continental Congress had done.

Sacred Honor

Thus the delegates risked not only their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor — as the Declaration puts it — but their political capital as well, by voting for independence.

Yet they pressed ahead, seeking common ground and clearly recognizing the value of self-sacrifice for the common good. Today's Congress, by contrast, seems content to play an endless game of swearing allegiance to each political party's banner. While both parties are to blame, the Republicans' announced No. 1 priority of defeating President Obama has led them to take a position on virtually every Democratic proposal that brings to mind the 1932 Groucho Marx song "Whatever It Is, I'm Against It."

"The Spirit of '76," long honored on this holiday, is often taken to mean uniting for freedom against an oppressor. That's appropriate, but there's another angle to that Spirit: Putting aside narrow personal political differences for the good of the country. It's something today's Congress doesn't seem inclined to do, but should.